In an interview with Le Parisien/Aujourd'hui en France, he describes the maneuvers that led the Sages [nickname given to judges of the Conseil Constitutionnel] to "whitewash" 10 million francs (1 million euros) of dubious origin.

Do you remember the deliberations concerning Edouard Balladur's campaign accounts?

Jacques Robert: Perfectly. And it's not a good memory. I have a hard time with the way the law was twisted on that occasion.

Which is to say?

Edouard Balladur's case was examined, like all the election cases, by three reporting councillors assigned to us by the Cour des Comptes [a court which audits public institutions] and the Conseil d'Etat [Council of State]. Their report, which was presented in a plenary session, was unequivocal. Edouard Balladur's accounts as a candidate showed 10 million francs of unknown origin. They were irregular.

Did they try to get an explanation from the former presidential candidate?

Yes. They wrote three times to him by certified mail, but Edouard Balladur never answered them. The explanation that his treasurer gave-- that these 10 million came from the sale of t-shirts-- did not hold water. It was an enormous sum. We told each other that Balladur was playing us.

Were Jacques Chirac's accounts correct?

No. But the irregularities were not as major.

How did the Sages of the Conseil Constitutionnel react?

We were all very annoyed. Then Roland Dumas, president of the Conseil, began speaking. "We're not here to create an uproar," he said. "The French people will not understand if we annul an election because of some cost overruns. We need to find a solution." He turned to the reporting councillors. "Maybe some categories were made to be more costly [than they were] ? It wouldn't be bad for you to lower that amount." The meeting was suspended. The three reporting councillors withdrew to work. After five or six hours, when they returned, the total had been reduced, but the accounts were still far too high. Roland Dumas asked them to make another effort. The reporting councillors left again. They ended up presenting an exact accounting... down to one franc. No doubt to show that they did not appreciate being taken for fools.

What about Chirac?

It happened almost the same way.

Did you agree to validate the accounts?

I know that I didn't want to do it, but after all these years, I don't remember my vote. Maybe in the end I gave in to Roland Dumas's arguments. You know, the Conseil Constitutionnel is a bit of a club. You are in good company, you call each other "tu." To slam the door, to lecture your colleagues, it isn't done. One thing is for sure: we were not very proud. We had just spent three days in a closed-door session. We were exhausted and ill at ease. We separated without a word, feeling that reasons of state had won a victory over the law.

Have you wondered where Balladur's money came from?

We were certain that it was shady, but we were inclined to think it was [from] an African potentate, a great French fortune, or a secret fund of the Prime Minister. At the time, no one was talking about Karachi, Pakistan or Saudi Arabia. I don't remember if the idea of kickbacks linked to weapons contracts was mentioned.

What do you think about it today?

Right before our vote, Roland Dumas spent an hour at the Élysées [home of the French President] with Jacques Chirac. No doubt he told him that it was a delicate situation and that he had had to be manipulative to regularize the accounts. My impression is that Roland Dumas, Jacques Chirac and Edouard Balladour were each holding each other by the short hairs. And that we served as security to cover a dirty trick.

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All translations on this site are by me, Sedulia Scott, unless otherwise noted. The translations are COPYRIGHT. You are welcome to use them, for non-commercial purposes only, if you attribute them correctly.